If you are unable to work because of Schizophrenia you may be able to make a TPD claim for a lump sum from the Total & Permanent Disablement insurance contained within your superannuation fund. There is no necessity for you to have been involved in an accident or to have suffered a work related injury to make a TPD claim. If you suffer from total and permanent disability, you may be able to make a TPD claim in addition to receiving your super early as a result of your condition. Our TPD Claim solicitors can advise you in detail as to the requirements of a successful submission, they will prepare all relevant paperwork and will obtain full supporting documentation. Our TPD lawyers will give you advice on the likely success of your schizophrenia claim to a super fund, without further obligation. It costs nothing to use our advice service.

Our TPD claim solicitors use a risk free no win no fee arrangement.

We have offices situated in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Darwin.

Schizophrenia - TPD

Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that makes it difficult for its sufferers to tell the difference between what is real and what is unreal, to think clearly and to have expected emotional responses to social situations.

Schizophrenia doesn’t have a single cause and it is not clear exactly what goes into getting schizophrenia. It appears to be somewhat genetic and if you have family members with the disease, you are more likely to get the disease. Environmental triggers also play a role in getting schizophrenia. It can happen in utero or due to a stressor early in life. If you have family support, you have a better chance of getting over or not getting schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia affects about one percent of the people worldwide. It is a disease that occurs equally among men and women. It tends to be milder and occur at a later age in women so that, at any given point in time, there are more men with the disease than women. It usually occurs in young adulthood but can occur as late as 45 years of age. It can begin in children older than 5 years in some patients.

There are a variety of symptoms in schizophrenia, both “positive” and “negative” symptoms. The positive symptoms tend to be related to getting the hallucinations and delusions seen in the disease. The negative symptoms include the flat affect and social withdrawal seen in the disease. The symptoms can come and go and are usually responsive to medications and therapy.

The main symptoms include a change in appearance and mood that involves having a flat affect. Bizarre movements can be seen, such as with catatonic behaviour, there can be delusions or false beliefs and you can hear or see things that are not really there in the form of hallucinations. You can have problems paying attention to people and you can have disordered thinking. Paranoid schizophrenia involves having paranoid delusions, while catatonic schizophrenia may not even move or can be in a constant state of feeling agitated. Undifferentiated schizophrenia has characteristics of more than one type of schizophrenia.

Doctors can test for schizophrenia by doing a complete history and physical examination. This includes a mental examination. A psychiatrist is in the best position to make this kind of evaluation. Family members and friends may need to be talked to. There aren’t any medical tests for schizophrenia but a doctor can do an MMPI, which is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, to check for the disease. Doctors may find some changes on a CT exam of the head in schizophrenics and the test can make sure no other diseases are present. The patient’s response to the medication can determine whether or not the disease is actually schizophrenia or not.

The biggest treatment for schizophrenia is medication. Medications are good for the positive symptoms of schizophrenia such as hallucinations but aren’t as good for the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Antipsychotic medications act on the neurotransmitters of the brain so that the symptoms are controlled. Side effects of antipsychotics are sleepiness, dizziness, weight gain, diabetes and high cholesterol. Other side effects of schizophrenia include jittery feelings, gait abnormalities, muscle spasms and tremors.

Certain medications can lead to tardive dyskinesia, a movement disorder involving tics of the mouth and other facial movements. It is permanent so you need to stop the medication at the first signs of the disease. There is a newer class of antipsychotics that have fewer side effects and that control psychotic symptoms. Schizophrenia is chronic so that antipsychotic medications cannot be discontinued for the life of the patient but can be changed to a different medication if needed.

The outlook for schizophrenia depends on the patient being regular on their medications and on support from the community, including families and friends. Some people gradually get worse and end up needing permanent care, while other people have stable disease and can play a role in society.

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